Shandaken: Nature Trails and Local History

Shandaken offers a range of ways to shape your visit: trails at the Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey Catskills Visitor Center in Mount Tremper, marked routes in the Rochester Hollow section of Shandaken Wild Forest, and local history at the Town of Shandaken Historical Museum in Pine Hill. If you’re looking for a place to stay, these specific interests can help with your planning.

Trails at the Catskills Visitor Center

The Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey Catskills Visitor Center includes the 80-foot-tall Upper Esopus Fire Tower and 1.5 miles of nature trails, including ADA-accessible routes. Both a distinctive observation tower and trails are highlights to help orient you when visiting the grounds.

The Esopus Creek Trail at the Visitor Center is about half a mile long. This out-and-back trail crosses Route 28 and leads to the banks of Esopus Creek; it was built to ADA accessibility standards. The half-mile distance describes the round trip, while the 1.5 miles refers to the Visitor Center’s nature trails. These different distances help distinguish between the two trail descriptions.

Forest Trails in Shandaken Wild Forest

Shandaken Wild Forest includes the John Burroughs Memorial Forest, a planting of white spruce and Norway spruce on an abandoned farm. The Rochester Hollow section offers another specific reference point for planning your time on the trails. It has three marked trails; the longest is the 2.7-mile Colonel Rochester Trail.

In winter, cross-country skiers use the trails in Rochester Hollow. However, they are not groomed or maintained for cross-country skiing. Winter use should therefore not be equated with a groomed ski trail. If you’d like to plan around a marked route, the Colonel Rochester Trail is the longest of the three trails, at the stated distance.

Local History in Pine Hill

The Town of Shandaken Historical Museum is housed in a schoolhouse from the 1920s in Pine Hill. Exhibits include historic tools and artifacts from the 19th century and later, as well as a schoolroom and kitchen from the 1900s. Other exhibits explore the people and history of Shandaken’s twelve hamlets. The museum thus brings together objects and rooms from different areas of everyday life with an overview of the history of the entire Town of Shandaken.

Visiting hours are listed as Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as visits by appointment; admission is free. Before making the trip, check current hours, appointment availability, and admission details.

Choose a Place to Stay Based on Your Main Interest

The locations provide specific points of reference for your planning: the Visitor Center is in Mount Tremper, the Rochester Hollow section is in the hamlet of Shandaken, and the museum is in Pine Hill. This lets you make nature trails, marked forest trails, or a museum visit a different focus of your stay.

For the broader travel overview: Ulster.